


Wallpaper

by breatheforher



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 23:17:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14725490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breatheforher/pseuds/breatheforher
Summary: Hi guys!Welcome to my WynHaught fic.That's right.W Y N H A U G H T.I ship them.All mistakes are my own. Except shipping WynHaught. Because that is not a mistake.





	Wallpaper

**Author's Note:**

> So this is Canon... Sort of. In that Wynonna is still the Heir and there are still revenents and such. It doesn't follow the timeline though. 
> 
> And Waverly and Nicole don't happen. Sorry!

Chapter One.

 

  
Nicole Haught knew she was different.

She knew she didn’t fit in. She didn’t fit in with the popular kids. She didn’t fit any labels, even though she’d tried. She’d tried so hard. Nicole had bent herself in every possible way, trying to fit into any mould she thought was even a close fit. But she was still always on the outside looking in.

When she was a kid she felt underappreciated, invisible, weird. She got used to the name calling, to being left out, to being the only kid in her senior class to not be invited to the Graduation party. Who even knew those things had guest lists? This one did.

Nicole Haught was the only name not on it.

But that was then, this was now.

Now, Nicole Haught wore a shiny silver badge, pinned above the pocket on the right side of her shirt, with her name engraved above the words Sheriff’s Deputy.

She wore a white Stetson proudly and walked with her head held high.

Nicole was brave and didn’t take crap from anyone. She was kind and she helped people. After all, isn’t that what a Police Officer was meant to do?

People saw her.

She had a voice and people listened.

While she was in uniform.

But when Nicole went home to her empty apartment at night and hung her hat on its hook and put her keys and badge in the little bowl on the cupboard near the door, she was invisible again.

No one visited her.

Her phone didn’t ring.

Except for the phone call from her mother every Thursday night to check in. The calls used to be on a Saturday night, but by the third “You’re too pretty to be at home alone on a Saturday night. You should be out with a nice boy.”, Nicole had picked up the weekend shifts at the station.

Surely her mother would think that police work was more important than dates? It was easier than telling her that she’d never, especially now, had any desire to date a “nice boy”.

Purgatory definitely housed its fair share of eligible bachelors, but Nicole had no desire to date boys. Or men. Or boy-men.

To Nicole’s relief, her mother had stopped mentioning it. She wasn’t sure if she’d taken the hint or if she’d just given up on the idea of Nicole dating.

When she was growing up, Nicole had hoped that one day people would appreciate all the ways she was different; that they’d embrace her and see her. She was two weeks out from celebrating her 25th birthday and she was still waiting for the day that anyone would really see her.

Maybe it was wishful thinking on her part to think that anyone would ever –

“Can I get you something to drink?”

Nicole looked up, her train of thought derailed. “Nah, I’m ok.”

“You do know that you’re in a bar, right?” The girl grinned at Nicole.

“Yes.”

Part of what made Nicole a good cop was that she was very observant. She saw things others didn’t. She had all the years of being left out that she’d spent watching and listening to thank for that. But even if she didn’t have a keen eye, the big letters that spelt Shortys Saloon were definitely a clue. As were the bottles of liquor on the shelves and the beer taps behind the bar.

“Who comes to a bar and doesn’t order something to drink?”

“A police officer who is on the clock.” Nicole offered up, glancing down at her uniform.

“Oh! Of course.” The girl chuckled.

“I can leave if you need the table.”

“Oh, yeah. We might. It’s an absolute madhouse right now.” The girl chuckled again as she watched Nicole scan the almost empty room.

“Yup, quite the crowd.” Nicole smiled softly.

“Well, if you need anything just give me a wave, and I’ll come right over. I’m Rosita, by the way. I’ll leave you alone, Officer...” Nicole watched her eyes trail slowly down to her name badge. “Haught.”

“Thanks, Rosita.” Nicole nodded, before picking her phone up from the table and checking her emails.

Out of the corner of her eye, Nicole watched Rosita walk behind the bar and whisper something to another brunette. The other girl shrugged as she looked in Nicole’s direction. She didn’t know what had been said, but she knew it was about her, and being talked about stung. It brought up a lot of feelings that Nicole had tried so hard to bury.

Nicole closed her eyes and sighed.

Maybe She wouldn’t be here today.

Nicole had gone to Shorty’s every day for the last week, everyday since she saw the beautiful brunette walk inside. And she’d seen her everyday since, sitting in a booth at the opposite end from where Nicole chose to sit. The girl would sip away at a few glasses of whiskey, one of the waitresses occasionally lingering to talk to her.

Everyday, until now.

She opened her eyes and looked pressed the home button on her phone. 12;24pm flashed onto the screen. Her lunch break was almost over. She placed her hand on her hat, ready to give up and head back to the station, when she heard the door to the saloon swing open.

Sure enough, the brunette walked in, her shoulders drooping a little more than usual. There was something about her that seemed so broken and even though Nicole didn’t know her, it made her heart ache. Nicole wanted to listen to her problems and do everything in her power to make it all better.

Nicole knew what it was like to be shunned and forgotten, and she hated knowing that anyone else felt that way.

But there was something more to this girl; something that called out to a place deep inside Nicole.

“The usual?” One of the girls behind the bar asked.

Nicole watched the brunette nod, before heading to her regular booth. Rosita poured her drink and walked over to the booth. Nicole continued to watch as she took the glass of brown liquid and down half of it in one go.

Nicole allowed her eyes to linger for a moment too long and soon she found a set of eyes locking with hers. They were green or blue or brown. She was too far away to see what colour they were. But it didn’t matter. They were the most beautiful eyes Nicole had ever seen.

They were also the saddest.

She didn’t need to sit any closer to see the sadness in her eyes.

“Wynonna, do you want another one?”

She had a name.

Wynonna.

“Is the sky blue, Rosita?” Wynonna rolled her eyes as she looked toward the bar.

Nicole looked down, picked up her phone and slid across the leather seat of the booth. She pushed her phone into her left pants pocket as she stood up.

“Are you following me?”

Nicole eyes went wide as she looked up.

“Am – Am I... “ Nicole stammered.

“I’ve seen you in here everyday for the last few days.”

“It’s a public bar.” Nicole replied shakily. She’d wanted so badly to talk to Wynonna and now that she had the chance, she was blowing it.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Officer.” Nicole didn’t respond. She didn’t know how to. She didn’t know Wynonna, but she didn’t want to lie. And how could she tell her that she’d been in the bar at the same time every day hoping to see her because she wanted to know her?

“Wynonna, your drinks at your table.” Rosita called.

Wynonna turned her head and nodded once before looking back at Nicole. “Just stop following me.”

And then she was gone. Nicole watched for a moment as Wynonna walked back to her booth, before placing her Stetson on her head and walking to the door.

+++++++

In the days that followed her run in with Wynonna, Nicole avoided the saloon.

She had no doubt that Wynonna would think that she’d been right, that Nicole was, in fact, following her. And while she hadn’t been entirely wrong, or wrong at all, Nicole wasn’t about to give up. She was determined to get to know Wynonna. Something in her was drawn to the brunette. She just need to regroup.

Nicole had almost mentioned Wynonna to her mother during their weekly call. Not that there was really anything to tell her. She’d asked if there was anyone special in Nicole’s life. Wynonna wasn’t exactly “in her life”, but there was something special about her.

Wynonna was different to anyone Nicole had ever met. Or seen, considering they’d hardly spoken. Nicole had heard stories about her. That she’d been in a gang. That bad things happened to those who got too close to her. That she’d killed her father and older sister. Nicole tried to ignore it. She didn’t want to listen to town gossip. But it was hard not to when almost every person had something to say about Wynonna.

Nicole could see you the way the opinions of the people of Purgatory chipped away at Wynonna. Anyone who bothered to look could see the weight she carried on her shoulders. Nicole figured that was the problem though. No-one bothered to look. They’d already made up their minds about Wynonna and nothing would change them.

She hated how well she knew that feeling. People made up their mind early on that Nicole was worth getting to know, wasn’t worth a second look. She hated that anyone else ever felt the way she did.

Nicole always did everything in her power to make sure that people felt seen and heard. Even something as small as remembering their name.

“Haught.” Nicole’s head snapped up at the sound of her name.

It was Saturday night in Purgatory, which meant it was just her and Sheriff Nedley. It was almost six, and Nicole figured that he’d be letting her know that he was stepping out for dinner.

“Yes, Sheriff?”

“I need you to come with me.”

“I already ate and that’d leave the station unattended.”

“What? No. We aren’t going to dinner.” Nedley shook his head as he walked to the door. “We’ve got an important call out and it’s a two person job.”

Had she been that caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard the phone ring? If it was important enough to leave the station unattended, maybe the call went directly to Nedley.

She pushed away from her desk and stood up. “Where are we going?”

“The Earp Homestead.”

Nicole put her Stetson on her head and followed after the Sheriff.

She’d heard a lot about the Earp Homestead, most of it had been bad. But she hadn’t had the unfortunate pleasure of visiting the property since arriving in town. And even with all she’d heard, she wasn’t sure what to expect.

She wasn’t expecting to see the broken windows at the front of the house, or the hole in one of the barn walls. There was a light coming from inside the house. That along with the headlights from Nedley’s squad car and the light from moon, made it easy for Nicole to see the damage to the property.

Nedley pulled to a stop, and they exited the car. Nicole could see two figures huddled together on the porch. She waited for a moment. She still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened or why she was there.

“Sheriff,” a female voice called from the porch. One of figures stood and started down the steps. “Thank you for coming.”

“Anytime, Waverly.” Nicole could see that she was the other girl from behind the bar at Shortys. “What happened?”

Waverly started to relay what had happened, while Nicole stepped closer to the figure on the porch. Her head was hanging forward, and her hair had fallen in a way that made it impossible to see her face. Nicole could see that she was cradling her left arm.

“Nicole.” She stopped and turned to look at Nedley. “Come and take Waverly’s statement while I go sort this out.”

Nicole glanced back at the porch, before nodding and walking to where Waverly stood.

“Hi, Waverly. I’m Officer –“

“I know who you are, Officer. You come into Shortys everyday.” Waverly smiled softly.

“Yeah, I do. What happened here? What blew a hole in your barn?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Sheriff Nedley told me to get your statement.”

“I know.” Waverly shifted where she stood. “It’s just...”

“Complicated.” Nicole nodded. “So, explain it to me.”

“I should check on my sister.”

“I was told to get your statement, Waverly.”

“Nedley usually brings Officer Lonnie when something like this happens. He knows the drill. He doesn’t really ask what happened. Noone does. People have already made up their minds about my family. And they’re not necessarily wrong. Lonnie just makes sure that I’m ok while the Sheriff tends to my sister.”

“Are you ok?”

Waverly was relatively unscathed considering the amount of damage to the property. There was a tiny cut to her cheek, but that was the only injury that Nicole could see.

“As ok as I am every other time.” Waverly said followed by an awkward chuckle.

“Every other time? How often does something like this happen?” Waverly kinked her eyebrow and Nicole grinned.” Right. Not your story to tell.”

Waverly took a step backwards, a small smile on her lips. “It was nice to meet you, Officer Haught.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Nicole watched as Waverly turned and walked back to the porch. Her eyes followed as the brunette walked up the stairs to where her sister sat talking to Nedley. He was standing in front her the other woman, so Nicole still couldn’t make out who it was.

She sighed and slowly walked over to the barn.

The damage to the side of the barn was definitely more than just general wear and tear. Something or someone had gone through the wall. Nicole could only see Waverly and her sister, so unless there was someone who vanished into thin air, it had to have been on of the sisters. Waverly wasn’t injured enough for it to have been her, so it must have been –

“I told you to stop following me.”

Nicole recognised the voice immediately and spun around.

“I’m on duty.” Nicole touched a finger to her hat.

The two women stood in silence for a long moment. Nicole looked over Wynonna. She’d definitely been involved in whatever had happened earlier in the evening. Her bottom lip was split and she was still cradling her arm. She had a cut to her forehead and her clothes were torn.

“Really did a number on the barn this time.” Wynonna said, shifting where she stood.

“Are you going to tell me how?”

Wynonna studied Nicole’s face for a moment. “Waverly said you asked a lot of questions.”

“Just doing my job, Wynonna.” It was the first time Nicole had said the brunettes name out loud. She liked the way it rolled off her tongue. “I can’t help protect-“

“I don’t need your help. I can protect myself. And Waverly.”

“I can see that.” Nicole said, eyeing Wynonna’s injuries.

The silence lingered again. She could see that Wynonna wasn’t going to tell her what she needed to know. Maybe Nedley would fill her in on the ride back to the station.

“You do know that it’s night time, right?” Wynonna asked.

“What?” Wynonna touched her finger to her own head, mirroring Nicole’s earlier actions. “Right. It’s part of the uniform.”

It meant more to Nicole than that. Her Stetson was more than just a part of her uniform, but there was no reason for her to let Wynonna know that. Two can play the “keeping secrets” game. The only difference was, Nicole actually wanted to know Wynonna. She wanted to know what had happened at the Homestead. She wanted to help.

“Fair enough.” Wynonna shifted again.

“Are you going to tell me what happened or should I just leave?” Nicole asked, annoyance in her voice.

“It’s comp-“

“Complicated, I know.” Sighing, Nicole stepped around Wynonna, in the direction of the squad car. “Y’know, the weight of the world isn’t so heavy when you let people share the load.”

Without looking back, Nicole walked to the car.

She was annoyed. She could see that Wynonna was injured. And both sisters had mentioned that this wasn’t the first time. Nicole wondered how many times something had to happen before Wynonna would ask for help.

She slid into the passenger seat and closed the door behind her. She looked over to where Wynonna still stood, and was shocked to see that the brunette was staring at her.

Nicole fought the urge to scrunch up her face and poke her tongue out.

She turned her attention to the driver’s side as the door opened and Nedley slid in beside her.

“Now that that’s taken care of... “

“What’s taken care of? What even happened here?” Nedley opened his mouth to reply but Nicole continued. “And if you say it’s complicated, I swear...”

“There are things that happen in this town –“

“What kind of things, Sheriff?” Nicole cut in, leaning closer to Nedley.

“Haught!” Nedley’s tone startled Nicole, and she sat back in her seat. “Let me finish. For the most part, Purgatory is like every other small town. There are good folk here. Families who have been here for generations. The Earps are one of those families. There are things that happen out here that most people wouldn’t understand. That most people choose to ignore because believing them is too difficult.”

“I’m not most people, Sheriff. “

“I know that. It’s why I picked you. Yes, you were top in your class, but there’s something more to you, Nicole. I need to know that I’ll be leaving this town to someone worthy.”

“What are you talking about?”

“People don’t live forever, Haught. And this town has its quirks but it’s home. I need to know it’ll be looked after.”

“And you think I’m the person to do that?” Nicole arched her brow as she looked at the Sheriff. “You’ve only know me for a few months.”

“And already I can see that I’ve made the right decision.” Nedley smiled before facing forward and pushing the key into the ignition.

“Then why won’t you tell me what happened here?”

“It isn’t my story to tell, Nicole. I come out here to check on the girls when they need it. They’re all the other has got. Themselves and this damn property. I made a promise that I’d take care of them. And I’m doing my best. Waverly is a sweetheart, but Wynonna is...”

Stubborn.

A pain in the ass.

A lost cause.

Damaged goods.

After the way the towns people spoke about Wynonna, Nicole half expected some horrible summary of the brunette to come tumbling out of the sheriff’s mouth. She knew that Nedley was a good and decent man, but she’d yet to find anyone who had a nice thing to say about Wynonna.

“Wynonna is guarded. She carries a lot on her shoulders and doesn’t let anyone in.”

That sounded familiar.

“It seems that way.” Nicole nodded slowly, looking back toward the house.

She watched Wynonna walk up the stairs and wrap her arm that wasn’t injured around Waverly’s shoulders. Wynonna said something and Waverly slowly nodded, before the sisters walked inside.

The ride back to the station was quiet. Nedley wasn’t a man of many words, but Nicole guessed that he knew she needed to wrap her head around what had happened. She was annoyed that she still didn’t know exactly what that was.

She suddenly felt like she was a child again, and that she was still on the outside looking in.

 

 

 


End file.
